Mother Teresa remembered on her 16th death anniversary

Special prayers were held at the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata today to mark Mother Teresa's 16th death anniversary.

Prayers and floral tributes were offered at the grave of the Mother.

The Superior General of Missionaries of Charity, Sister Prema, expressed her joy as UN declared this day as International Charity Day.

She said that it was of great value to them as they could set an example of charity and service.

"Mother has definitely been all over the world; a sign for those who are neglected and those who have nobody to look after them and care for them. This inspiration has been taken up by the United Nations to declare the 5th of September as a day of charity and to inspire other people to follow in the example of Mother Teresa, to give them service, and to reach out actively to the poor," she said.

Meanwhile, Sister Prema expressed her sorrow over the increasing crimes against women in the country and said that the women's body is a gift and it should be preserved by dressing modestly and keeping the body pure till marriage.

"Look at yourself as a gift of God, and your womanhood as a very special gift of God. Protect it and guard it, especially by dressing modestly and keeping the modesty under recollection which is the innate dignity of a woman; and preserve the purity for the time when marriage is coming and for the family and the husband of the woman," said Sister Prema.

Albanian born Mother Teresa made Kolkata her home and dedicated her life to the service of poor and destitute children. The Pope beatified the Nobel laureate in October 2003, paving the way for her canonisation, or being declared a saint.

She qualified for beatification after Vatican officials acknowledged that she was responsible for a miracle in which an Indian woman was cured of stomach cancer through her intervention.

She came to India in 1929 at the age of 18 and took up teaching and became an Indian citizen in 1948.

She started working in slums and later set up her Missionaries of Charity, which was approved by the Vatican in 1950.

Mother Teresa received several national and international awards for social service during her lifetime. They include the Magsaysay Award in 1962, the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971, the John F. Kennedy International Award in 1971 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.